Noah J. Nelson

He wouldn't make the claim himself, but when it comes to comic-book writers, Mark Waid is one of the greats. "I've pretty much hit all of the pop culture bases," Waid says, surrounded by comic-book memorabilia in his Los Angeles home. Batman, Spider-Man and even The Incredibles have all had adventures dreamed up by Waid. "Jan. 26, 1979, was the most important day of my life," Waid says. "Because that's the day that I saw Superman: The Movie . I came out of it knowing that no matter...